Debating Biology

Relations between the biological and social sciences have been hotly contested and debated over the years. The uses and abuses of biology, not least to legitimate or naturalise social inequalities and to limit freedoms, have rightly been condemned. All too often, however the style of debate has been reductionist and ultimately unfruitful. As we enter an age in which the alliance of biology with technology plays an ever more influential part in out lives there is an urgent need to re-open the dialogue in more productive ways. Debating Biology takes a fresh look at the relationship between biology and society as it is played out in the arena of health and medicine. Bringing together contributions from both biologists and sociologists, the book is divided into five themed sections: Theorising Biology draws on a range of critical perspectives to discuss the case for ‘bringing back’ the biological into sociology. Structuring Biology focuses on the interplay between biological and social factors in the ‘patterning’ of health and illness. Embodying Biology examines the relationship between the lived body and the biological body. Technologising Biology takes up the multiple relations between biology, science and technology. Reclaiming Biology looks at the broader ethical and political agendas. As ultra-Darwinian forms of explanation gather momentum and the bio-tech revolution threatens a brave new world of ‘posthuman’ possibilities, Debating Biology grapples constructively with some of the most urgent issues of out time, particularly as they apply to health, medicine and society.